burning large brush/tree pile

[Anonymous-0]

Now that the crops are out and the land around my brush piles is plowed, I want to burn my brush/trees. I had a dozer out 4 months ago and cleared about 3 acres of trees, mostly box elder and ash. I want to burn the 2 large piles and have a couple questions.
Where should I start the fires, on the wind direction side, or opposite of it. Also, how to best start this fire (tires are not an option). Anything else to worry about? (obviously burn permit, and the wind direction/speed).

 

[supergrumpy]

I would think real hard before lighting the pile

3 years ago I was going to burn mine but a neighbor lit his brush pile the day before I planned to, his flying embers drifted into his neighbors woodlot and burned up 4 acres of nice woods

I decided to cancel the burn and let the bunnies live in the brush, snow and decay have reduced size of pile considerably and I have pulled some decent firewood out of there

 

[Anonymous-0]

Contact your local fire department, they may want to burn it as a training exercise. Never hurts to ask.

I guess I've always started the fire on the upwind side, so the fire blows toward the rest of the pile. Guess it depends on how big the pile is, and how big/fast you want the fire to be.

Stuff some hay or straw in various places around the pile. I didn't say this, but a little drain oil works wonders too.

A gas powered leaf blower can be very helpful to get it going also.

 

[RobMD]

I think the fire department would like to have a hand in it.

Seriously, if your area is NOT UNDER DRY AREA RESTRICTIONS, you may be able to contact your fire dept and have them play with fire!

 

[old]

Dozed piles are very hard to burn. Some how all that dirt will really slow the burning down and at times even stop the burning. BTDT and it can be hard to burn them. If you do try to burn it you want to light it from the side that the wind blow into it so as to push the flames into the pile more. Diesel fuel works well to get it started but if the pile is very big it takes a lot of it and now days thats hard on the back pocket. My self if there not in to way I would leave them alone wild life love those piles and I may self have a few of them. Some how a tornado back in 200? and the ice storm last year we have lots of the stuff
Hobby farm

 

[Anonymous-0]

I need to burn them, they are in the way. I will be burying whatever is left. I cleared the old grove out, will plant a couple acres corn and start a new grove this spring...

 

[TWJanak]

If you are worried about them burning too fast and violently, blowing a lot of hot embers in the air, then start the fire on the downwind side and it will slowly work its way upwind.

 

[Anonymous-0]

It's best to burn with snow on the ground. Stops any unwanted fires. Diesel works good but the best way to start a big fire is with a tiger torch. It's about a 3 ft. long piece of pipe with a burner on the end that uses a 20 lb. propane tank. It's not too heavy to move around and shoots out a big blue flame that can be directed to the bottom of the pile. It will melt the snow and dry the wood in a hurry to get the fire started. You could start the pile burning in several locations. The torches cost under $100 and are useful for lots of things. Dave

 

[lucas boy]

i use used engine oil thrown on pile and start it with wadded newspaper.works good.. the guys told you good about the wind. you may want to start it against the wind,if it doesnt take off, light the opposite side.you can probly judge if theres anything nearby that would catch.fire or police would have the details.around here you need a 50.00 permit if its over 10 foot tall and over 40 foot long... lucas

 

[djfarmer]

Spark 'em up after the sun has set. Set a lawn chair or two up wind, drop a shovel and bucket of water near by, crack a beer and enjoy. Maybe even invite somebody over. It's like sitting around a campfire, which is something I love, while still getting something accomplished. Unless you are in a drought condition it won't get away.

 

[LenND]

If your trees were green and alive when they were dozed they probably won't be dead enough to burn unless you use a lot od diesel to help. The best is to leave them until next year so they dry out.

 

[I wanna Farmall]

Well i would add any green tractors that happen to be laying around, (naw-i'm just messin with ya) then get some old gas for after its goin, have fun

 

[Jeff-oh]

I called our local FD with a... Do you want to play type fire...

They handed me 10 forms to fill out, Info on where to send a check to get an Ohio EPA permit and somuch red tape I handed it all back and asked for the regular burn permit.

BTW they really did want to play...

 

[Anonymous-0]

Before burning became a no no here, I started them
with some wooden shingles, scrap pine and chucks
of waste 2x4s. Using tires, waste oil, diesel, etc
was not OK with the fire dept. If it's a low wind
day burn with the wind to "fan the flame"

 

[Midwest redneck]

I would call the fire dept. and let them handle it is they would like too. Just think of the prison time if the fire got away from you and you were charged with arson.

 

[Anonymous-0]

I talked to the fire dept, they had no interest in doing it. I have the burn permit, and need to call the sheriff dept before I start it. No close neighbors either.

 

[Anonymous-0]

Sometimes a pound of hot dogs and a package of buns will help you keep out of trouble with the fuzz. Local small sawmill has a periodic wiener roast.

 

[Tradititonal Farmer]

Wait for a rain or better yet some snow so there is no chance of the fire getting out.Diesel soaked square Hay bales will usually get it going.

 

[Don-Wi]

We had a pile of brush I took out of the north fence row last year, and it wouldn't bunr untill spring when the wood dried out enough after being cut down green. We checked with the town about a permit, they said none needed.

We used the Xmas tree we had in the house as the starter. Amazing how fast they'll go...

Donovan from Wisconsin

 

[Chris(WA)]

Use a propane weed burner to start the fire. A gas leaf blower will help a bunch to get it going too. A gas powered fan can be rented from some rental yards. The extra air helps a lot if the pile is dense and there are not a lot of airways in it. Start it on the up wind side so the fire blows into the pile. If its in the middle of a plowed field you should have no problems.
Burning durring or just after a light rain or with light snow cover are good ideas as well.
Have fun!

 

[Tradititonal Farmer]

Yea you don't see the brush piles where rabbits especially would always be much anymore.I always try to keep some around the farm for wildlife.Generally a great place for blackberries to grow.

 

[Anonymous-0]

Besides the actual burning of the brush pile, use lots of care if you need to get near it with the dozer or other equipment, belly pans on crawlers are good sources of fuel, dirt and debris soaked with oil.

 

[Eric SEI]

We always find that some dead cedar trees will really help getting the fire started. Our fires were always piled brush though.

 

[Anonymous-0]

If you have brush dozed up you will have a time to burn the entire pile(piles)due to soil in the brush.That was my experience.Start your fire on the windward side on a not too windy day.A good breeze really helps.I use a metal bucket with old motor oil set afire under where your starting the pile to get it going.
Good luck,
Naz

 

[Anonymous-0]

I doubt that you would get a very good burn this soon without adding a LOT of additional fuel. I generally let my brush piles sit for a year before I burn them. And I do my burning in the very late fall or in the spring and try to do it when there is a light rain forecast for that day. I don't want to have the slightest risk of the fire getting away from me. That can be incredibly costly.

When I am building up a burn pile, I cover part of it with one of those cheap blue plastic tarps and then pile more brush over the tarp. That makes some of the pile stay dry even if it rains a bunch and that makes it easy to get it to catch fire just using a weed burner propane torch. Once the dry area is burning fairly well, the rest of the pile will be dried out by the fire and will burn up.

The burning rules in my area require a significant fire line around each pile, down to what they call mineral soil. They also require that the fire be started fairly early in the day and that the information about the controlled burn and the information on the fire permit be reported to the fire department when the fire is started. We also have to check with the state DNR about burning conditions that day and if there are other environmental restrictions. If you burn other than in the very wet part of the year, you have to have a water source near the burn, like a tanker or a charged garden hose. But to stay out of trouble, I follow the rules.

Dozer piles present some extra problems, depending on how much dirt is mixed with the burnable material. When I tried burning some dozer piles on my property years ago, they burned extremely slowly and were still hot months later. I ended up needing to spread them out and actually had to repile some stumps that hadn't burned well, since they stayed too wet from the soil around them. They did fine the next year though, after I got the dirt away from them.

Good luck, and stay safe. But if there was any way to do so, I would wait a year to let the material get dried out.